Jermaine Jenas splits from wife months after being sacked for sending inappropriate texts to colleagues
4 March 2025, 19:55
Former England and Premier League star Jermaine Jenas has split from his wife months after being accused of sending inappropriate texts to his colleagues.
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The former Match of the Day and One Show presenter was sacked from his position at the BBC after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to his colleagues.
Jenas had been with his wife Ellie Penfold for 16 years and the pair share four children together.
In a statement on her Instagram story, Ms Penfold said: "I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it's necessary.
"After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways.
"We will remain friends and continue to co-parent.
"We kindly ask that you respect our children's privacy during this challenging time."
Prior to his sacking last August, Jenas had played a prominent role in the BBC’s football coverage, with the ex-Tottenham midfielder being widely considered Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day successor.
Jenas insists he had done "nothing illegal" and that "inappropriate messages" sent were "between two consenting adults".
In recent months, Jenas has returned to broadcasting on TalkSport.
"The last six, seven months have been extremely tough for myself and my family," Jenas said in an interview with TalkSport in February.
"But it's also been a really good opportunity to kind of take stock, have a good look at why you find yourself in these kind of situations, and start to have some honest conversations, really.
"With yourself, with other people, people that are close to you, people that have been very supportive during this period of time and just kind of work your way back to a position where I can get back to doing what I love most."
